Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a powder detector, an image forming apparatus including the powder detector, and a powder detecting method.
Description of the Related Art
At present, use of information in the form of electronic data is increasing. Accordingly, printers and facsimile machines to output electronic data and image processing apparatus, such as scanners, to convert information into electronic data are widely used. Among such image processing apparatuses, there are apparatuses that employ electrophotography. In electrophotographic image formation, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearer such as a photoconductor is developed and transferred onto a recording medium such as a sheet of paper.
Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses typically include a developing device to develop the electrostatic latent image, and developer is supplied from a developer container to the developing device. The image forming apparatus includes a detector to detect the amount of developer remaining in the developing device or the developer container.